Illinois Public Media

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Illinois Public Media

Join us for a free, online film screening!

May 15, 2013

Join our free online social screening and discussion of this film that traces the fascinating evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman. From the birth of the comic book superheroine in the 1940s to the blockbusters of today, Wonder Women! looks at how popular representations of powerful women often reflect society's anxieties about women's liberation. The screening begins at 7 pm Wednesday, May 15.

The film goes behind the scenes with TV stars Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman) and Lindsay Wagner (The Bionic Woman), comic writers and artists, and real-life superheroines such as Gloria Steinem, Kathleen Hanna and others, who offer an enlightening and entertaining counterpoint to the male-dominated superhero genre.

Wonder Women! explores the nation’s long-term love affair with comic book superheroes and raises questions about the possibilities and contradictions of heroines within the genre. Reflecting our culture’s deep-seated ambivalence toward powerful women — even in this so called post-feminist era — women may be portrayed as good, or brave, or even featured as “action babes,” but rarely are they seen as heroes at the center of their own journey.

A couple of words of advice for those who would like to participate tonight:

1) Please go to the link 10-15 minutes before the screening starts. At the bottom of the page, there is technical information about testing your browser and making sure that each user has the latest version of their particular browser and Flash. This is really important to have the best possible experience and to avoid freeze-ups and crashes.

2) Each person either needs to sign-up for an account at the link or log-in via Facebook. WILL-TV will not collect any personal information about users.

You might also want to check out WILL-AM's Focus program from today about using comics in the classroom to help kids learn.